Liquid sampler



w G. J. FERGUSON Jan. 18, 1955 LIQUID SAMPLER Filed June l2, 1953 nm H 0N M am 0 WN T 91 r w W. A F I, .n

United States Patent O M LIQUID SAMPLER Garvin J. Ferguson, Oklahoma City, Okla. Application June 12, 1953, Serial No. 361,195

2 Claims. (Cl. ,7S-425.4)

The present invention relates to mechanism for taking liquid samples from storage tanks, and the like.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a manually operated device which will take a liquid sample at any desired level in a body thereof.

A further object is to provide a sampler which is positive in action, both in opening and in closing.

Another object is to provide a sampler which is simple to operate.

An additional object is to provide a sampler of this class which has few moving parts to become worn or to get out of order.

A still further object is to provide a sampler which includes a hollow receptacle and a cap or lid therefor, the cap acting to operatively support all of the operating mechanism, including the loading valve, thereby simplifying the operation of dis-assembly, andre-assembly.

Yet another object is to provide a sampler which is comparatively cheap to manufacture.

Other objects will be apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying single sheet of drawings, wherein:

Figure l is an elevational view of the device;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view, showing the valves closed; and,

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional View taken substantially along the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in those figures of the drawings in which they occur.

In the drawings:

The device consists substantially of a tubate body 1 having an open upper end and having an integral lower wall 2, which is centrally perforated to provide an annular bevelled seat for a similarly bevelled disc-valve 4, which is mounted on the lower end of a vertically movable valve stem 5. adjustable nut 6 threadedly engaged on the lower end of the stem 5.

The upper end of the body 1 has exterior threads 7 for receiving a suitable cap 8, which is adapted to completely close the upper end thereof. The cap 8 is axially perforated and threaded to receive the upper end of a tubular stem-guide 9, which projects downwardly into the body 1 to a point somewhat below its vertical center. The Valve stem is disposed slidably within the guide 9, and is of sufficient length to project above the upper end of said guide when the valve 4 is seated. The lower end of the guide 9 has a suitable packing gland 10 threadedly disposed thereon, and the gland acts to seal around the valve stem 5 in a conventional manner. A helical spring 11 is disposed around the lower portion of the valve steml 5, and its upper end bears against the lower end of the packing gland 10. The lower end of spring 11 bears against the upper surface of the valve head 4 to hold it against the nut 6, and to also urgethe head 4 and stem 5 toward their downwardmost positions. That portion of the upper end of the stern guide 9, which projects above the upper surface of the cap 8, is provided with a conventional packing gland 12 for sealing around the stem 5. The upper end of the valve stem 5 projects above the packing gland 12, and is provided with a polygonal head 13 which supports a pivoted ring or eye 14.

The head 13 on the stem 5 is equipped with a crossbar or guide-plate 15 which is rigidly connected thereto, and the cross-bar projects laterally from the head in two directions. One end of the guide-plate 15 is perforated to surround a vertical guide-post 16, which has its lower The valve head 4 rests upon an 2,699,680 Patented Jan. 18, 1955 end ngidly mounted to the cap 8, and the post projects upwardly from the cap 8 a distance somewhat greater than the possible vertical stroke of the stem 5.

The other end portion of the guide-plate 15 is perforated to slidably surround a second vertical valve stem 17, which is held in said perforation by a `nut 18 threaded upon the upper end of the stem. Between its ends, the second valve stem 17 has a rigidly mounted valve-head 19 thereon which is in the form of an annular outwardly projecting ange, and below the head 19 the stern 17 projects downwardly through a perforation in the cap 8 a distance greater than the vertical stroke of the valve stem 5. That portion of the second valve stem 17 which lies between the head 19 and the guide-plate 15, is surrounded by a helical spring 20, and the spring urges the stem 17 in a downward direction so as to seat the valve head 19 upon the upper surface of the cap 8, when the valve stem 5 is at the lower end of its stroke. One side of that portion of the second valve stem 17 which normally lies within the body 1, is provided with an elongated groove or fiat surface 21, so that when the stem 17 is pulled upwardly the surface 21 will be disposed within the perforation so that air may bleed out of the body 1 through the surface or groove 21.

The cap 8 has two spaced vertically extending brackets 22 and 23 which pivotally support a conventional bail 24, and the bail 24 is adapted to receivea supporting or lifting chain 25, by which the device may be manually lowered into a body of liquid. The ring 14 on the upper end of the valve stem 5 is adapted to be connected to the lower end of a valve lifting cord 26.

In operation, the body 1 is rst lowered on the chain 25 into a tank or other storage receptacle for liquid, not shown, to a desired point beneath the: surface of such liquid. When the body 1 is in the desired position beneath the surface of the liquid, the cord 26 is manually pulled upwardly to raise the two valve stems 5 and 17. When the valve stem 5 is raised against the action of the spring 11, the valve head 4 is simultaneously lifted from its seated position on the valve seat 3, and liquid may then flow into the body 1 through the lower wall 2 thereof. At the same time the valve stem 5 is raised by the cord 26, the second valve stem 17 is simultaneously raised to bring the air bleeder surface of groove 21 in a proper position to permit air to escape through the upper cap 8. When the body 1 is filled with the liquid, the cord 26 is released and subjected to the action of the springs 11 and 20, which respectively, seat the two valve heads 4 and 19. The filled body 1 is then raised out of the liquid in the tank by lifting the chain 25.

It is pointed out that the device has suicient weight to cause its submergence in a liquid body, even though the body is full of air. When the valve 5 is opened, the differential in inside and outside fluid pressures causes the surrounding liquid to surge into the body to fill the same. The speed with which the body is filled may be controlled by the clearance provided by the air bleeding surface or groove 21 along the side of the valve stem 17.

Obviously the invention is susceptible to some change or alteration without defeating its practicability, and I therefore do not wish to be confined to the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings and described herein, further than I am limited by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A device for taking samples from `a body of liquid, including: a hollow metal body having an open upper end and an axial inlet opening in the bottom end and being provided with an upwardly facing valve seat surrounding said inlet; a closure for the upper end of said body; a guide sleeve rigidly supported axially by said closure and depending into the body; a valve stem slidably disposed within said sleeve and projecting upwardly through said closure; a valve head rigidly carried by the lower end of said stem and movable by the stem into and out of said seat for respectively closing and opening the inlet; a rigid guide post extending upwardly from said closure in eccentric relation thereto; a horizontal bar attached rigidly intermediate its ends to the upper end of the valve stem, one end of said bar being perforated to slidably envelop the guide-post, so that the valve stem is` held. in. a. vertical, positionA during, its reciprocation;V

a vertically disposed rod carried by the other end of said bar to move therewith, said rod projecting downwarlly into said; body through a prforatien-Tiusad;cl sure, andl being.A 0f a length greater than thievertical' stroke of the valve stenu'ariV annular flange-like valve headrigidlyfcarriedby the rodlqclose the perforation inthe closure., whenth'ervalvestern is. at thelower end ofv its-Suche.; Said f Od having-a. lQngtudinaLgrooveformed therein, for permitting air to escapethrough the perfora- 10 tion in the-closure,v when the rod is,raised.

2,. Structure` as. specified.inclaim. l, and.; springmeans,

for urging the first rnentionedvalve head toward its seated position.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

